After the huge success of Thor: Ragnarok Taika Waititi
looks like he will be the man to finally get the live action adaptation of Akira
off the ground. The anime/manga comic is set after the Third World War. The
action takes place in the rebuilt New Manhattan (not Neo Tokyo) where a leader
of a biker gang saves his friend from a medical experiment. Since an adaptation
has been announced directors Jaume Collet-Serra, Jordan Peele, Justin Lin,
Daniel Espinosa and David Sandberg have all attached to the film. Actors
connected to the project have included: Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, Keanu
Reeves, Gary Oldman, Ezra Miller, Kristen Stewart, Dane DeHaan, Ken Watanabe,
Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Pitt and Garrett Hedlund. DiCaprio will produce
the two films needed to tell the story of the comic. Waititi says if he takes on
the project it will not use any American actors and look for Asian teenagers to
fill the roles. He also wants to use most of the story seen in the books.